Waterloo Region still waiting for legal pot shops

KITCHENER --
Cannabis edibles are now for sale in pot shops across the province, but for anyone living in Waterloo Region, buying them won’t be easy.

The Ontario Cannabis Store has released 59 new products, including edibles, beverages, lotions and concentrates.

They’re only available in retail stores and won’t be available online until January 16.

But if you live in Waterloo Region you’ll have to wait a little longer, or drive out of town, if you want to try the new products.

Three store locations are coming to the region, but so far, none have opened their doors.

It’s been a slow start for the industry considering weed has been legal for more than a year.

Tony Millar, the co-founder of Alternative Cannabis Consumption Awareness, says Waterloo Region came up short in the provincial lottery. The region was grouped in with both Hamilton and Guelph and since those cities already had several illegal dispensaries, it showed that they had stronger markets for cannabis.

“Kitchener did a really good job on combating illegal cannabis stores when they started popping up,” he says. “I think because of that, there is less of a need for the legal ones to come in and kind of take them over.”

Plans are already in the works for three pot shops in Waterloo Region – King Street in Waterloo, Fairway Road in Kitchener, and Pinebush Road in Cambridge.

“There’s a lot more loopholes to jump through,” says Millar. “Privately-owned stores can open up a lot more quickly than franchise ones. That’s the bottom line.”

The Ontario Cannabis Store says there will be limited amount of edibles for sale but that they have a plan in place to quickly replenish store supplies.